Researchers at the University of Manchester in the U.K. have devised a strategy that gives new use to diatom shells, using the silica shells as scaffolds for building atomic sheets of molybdenum disulfide.
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Scientists at the Australian National University developed a new spray-on, plastic-based coating that could be used to waterproof cell phones, prevent ice formation on airplanes, and protect boat hulls against corrosion.
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ACerS member Valerie Wiesner, a materials engineer at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, is one of the many scientists trying to fully unlock the potential of ceramic matrix composite materials.
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An ARPA-E program called Full-Spectrum Optimized Conversion and Utilization of Sunlight (FOCUS) is supporting efforts to combine photovoltaic and concentrated solar power into one uber-efficient solar system.
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Video: Piezoelectric power—GE and ORNL pioneering appliance efficiency with ultrasonic clothes dryer
GE Appliances (Louisville, Ky.) and Oak Ridge National Lab (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) together are developing the next generation of laundry appliance that can dry in half the time and use 70% less energy than your current clothes dryer.
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ACerS member and Fellow Nitin Padture penned one of three commentaries for a new aerospace-centered issue of Nature Materials. Padture’s article, “Advanced structural ceramics in aerospace propulsion,” details the vital role of advanced structural ceramics in ever-advancing vehicle propulsion systems.
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Rice University researchers (Houston, Texas) want to know what makes concrete stronger and tougher. And after analyzing more than 600 computer models of concrete’s inner matrix, they determined that both voids and particles are key players in giving the material its remarkable qualities.
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It’s officially summer—and that means more sun-filled days ahead. So it’s only fitting that we round up the latest solar energy research news. This week, solar cells get ‘greener’ and thinner, and a solar power plant in Nevada keeps the energy going 24/7.
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Researchers from BarcelonaTech in Spain are working to perfect living concrete—a layered formulation that allows photosynthetic organisms, such as mosses, lichens, and other microorganisms, to grow within the material itself.
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A team of scientists from Oak Ridge National Lab, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, and Eck Industries has developed a new super-strong aluminum alloy that incorporates cerium—and it just may be able to restart mining of rare-earth elements in the United States.
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